Safety device.



G. S. HILL.,

SAFETY DEVICE. APPLICATION mm APR. 22. ss.

`1,266,O 1'7. Patented May 14, 1918.

TED ms P TENT GEORGE S. HILL, OF'STRAFFORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOB, BY=MESNE 'ASSIGN- MENTS, 'TO UNITED' SI-ICE `MACI-IINERY CORPORATION, OF' PATERSON, NEW

JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEYL SAFETY DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented m ia, 1918.

Application filed Apri1f22, 1913. Serial No. 92,943.

Straiford, in the'connty of Strafford and' State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates 'to safety devices for preventing the accidenta l falling or too rapid lowering of, a tipping portion or head of a machine.

In many types of machines the head or some portionof the machine is mounted to tip or tilt upon a stationary portion or base for the purpose of giving access to the parts beneath for inspection or adjustment, or for some other reason. Such tipping heads or portions are often heavy and inconvenient' to manipulate, so that an operator is liable to sutfer ln ury to his fingers or hands, or the machine to be damaged by the accdental falling or too rap d lowerng of the tpping portion or head.

Oneof the objects of the present invention is to avoid such liability of injury to the operator or damage to the machine by providing means which will prevent the accidental dropping or the too rapid lowering of the head or other portion of the machine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means whcreby the tipping portion or head may be freely raised to any desired extent and automatically retained in such raised position.

WVith these and other objects in View, as will be apparent from the following description, the present invention consists of the devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and more particularly defined in the claims.

In the accoinpanying drawings which illustrate what is now considered the preferred embodiment of the present invention as applied to a buttonhole sewing machine of the type disclosed in my pending application for patent, Serial No. 104,&49, filed June 19, 1916, Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the stationary base and tilting head of such a machine provided with the safety device hereinafter described; Fig. 2 is an ;cnlargcd side elevation of the safety device with a portion broken away to show the internal Construction; and Fig. 3 is an enlargedverticalsection online 3-3, Fig. 1, looking in the direction ofthetarrow.

-The stationary base 1 of -the machine,

which comprises a hollow or open casting,

is provided on `each side with an upwardly extending 'arm or support 2 for the hearing twithin whichis clamped the bearin sleeve 5` for the rotating shaft 6 'which extends across the machine from one sleeve to the other. Pivoted uponthe inner portion of 'when the front of the head 'is tipped up.

When the head is in its normal position, as

shown in the drawing, its lower front end, as at 9, rests upon a cushioning support 10 of rubber or other suitable material in the front .end of the stationary base 1.

In order to prevent the accidental drop- .ping of the head from a .raised or tipped position or its too rapid lowering with possibility. ofinjury: to the operator or damage to the machine itself, the, latter has been provided with' a friction braking mech a-.

nisni arranged topermit free lifting or np wardtilting ofthhead, bnt to apply a braking resistance to its lowering or downward v movement; This mechanism comprises the friction or brake band 11, one end of which is pivotally Secured to the upright 2 of the stationary base by means of the screw 12, while the other end is adjustably connected with the first end by means of the screw 13, by the tightening or loosening of which the diameter of the band may be diminished or increased. Supported within the band 11 is the friction or braking ring 14, the outer periphery of which is groovecl to receive the round band 11. The friction.

to engagc the slightly grooved inner periphery of the frction ring 14. The inclines 18 are so directed and the springs 20 are so located that When the clutch ring 15 is turned in a left-hand or anti-clockwise direction, as seen n Fig. 2, which corresponds to a raising or lifting of the tilting head, the friction ring 14 Will remain stationary and disconnected from the clutch ring 15 and tilting head 7. As soon, however, as the tilting head is started to be lowered, which causes the clutch ring to turn in a right-hand or clockivise direction, the triction ring let is clutched or connected to the tilting head by means of the balls 19 and clutch ring 15, and the friction band ll, through its frictional engagement With the ring 1%, prevents or retards the loWering movement of the tlting head.

By turning the adjusting screw 13 in one direction or the other the friction between band 11 and ring l l can be increased or diminished as desired, and may be made sufiicient to overcome the action of gravity altogether, so that the head Will remain in any position or inclination, in which case the operator Will have to force or press the head down to its normal position. If the operator preters, hoWever, a less amount of friction may be employed which Will be sufficient to prevent accidental droppng of the head When in its fully raised or tilted position, and which Will relieve the operator of the greater portion of the Weight of the head When it is being lowered to normal position.

It Will be noted that Whatever the adjustment of the friction band, the present device does not interfere With the free raising of the head, but operates only to restrain or retard the lowering movement of the head.

While the present invention has been 1,2ee,o17

illustrated and described as embodied in a buttonhole sewing machine, it is to be understood that its application is not limited to such machine nor its form and arrangement to the specific devices shown, but that it may be employed in many other kinds and types of machines and the form and arrangement of its parts varied.

Having thus described the nature and object of the invention, What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a stationary base, a head pivotally mounted upon the base upon a substantially horizontal aXis located in the rear of the center of gravity of the head and adapted to have a limited tipping movement aboutsaid aXis, the front of the head normally resting upon the stationary base and being adapted to be raised by the operator against the action of gravity, and coperatng friction members connected with the stationary base and the tipping head respectively When the head is being loWered, one of said members being automatically disconnected When the head is being raised.

2. The eombination of a stationary base provided With a pair of upwardly extending hearing supports, a tipping head pivotally mounted upon said supports and adapted to have a limited tipping movement about an aXis located behind the center of gravity of the head, the front of the head normally rcstiug upon the base, a friction band secured to one of said supports, means for adjusting the band, a friction ring cooperating With the band, and a one direction clutch for connectng the head and ring When the head is being lowered, said clutch being inoperative When the head is being raised.

GEORGE S. HILL.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressng the "Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C." 

